Best Bird of the Weekend (Second of April 2013)

Here in the United States, April 15 is Tax Day, which means that countless Americans have toiled through the last 48 hours to prepare their taxes. Some are surely at it still. What a way to ruin a weekend!

With the foresight to get my taxes taken care of early, I was free to enjoy the cold spring weather and lingering winter species around here. It’s nice to see that Red-breasted Nuthatches still haunt my home turf. Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend was a total surprise. He was walking along a trail at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge when he saw a flash of yellow up ahead. His brain instantly shouted “Yellow-breasted Chat” but he refused to listen to it. You can imagine Corey’s shock when he got a better look at the bird and it was, indeed, a Yellow-breasted Chat.

How about you? What was your best bird of the weekend?Tell us in the comments section about the rarest, loveliest, or most fascinating bird you observed. If you’ve blogged about your weekend experience, you should include a link in your comment.

Mike is a leading authority in the field of standardized test preparation, but he's also a traveler who fully expects to see every bird in the world. Besides founding 10,000 Birds, Mike has also created a number of other entertaining but now extirpated nature blog resources, particularly the Nature Blog Network and I and the Bird.

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Jochen

April 15, 2013 6:05:28 am

Christmas Island Frigatebirds off the coast of Jakarta/Java were VERY cool to watch. My first ever frigatebirds.

Resplendent Quetzal during Sunday morning of birding on Poas Volcano, Costa Rica was the best although it was also nice to see several Golden-browed Chlorophonias, Black Guan, Long-tailed and Black and yellow Silky Flycatchers and several other highland species. Ironically, I would have traded them all for a Yellow-breasted Chat- a very rare migrant in Costa Rica.

Hermit thrush, yellow-rumped warbler and Gambel’s quail, all at Hueco Tanks State Park & Historic Site, El Paso, TX. Our kestrels apparently had something happen to their family, and were very discombobulated for a few days, but they are back to acting normally. It is always a pleasure to watch them.

A small group of Brown Creepers climbing conifers by Anderson Lake, here on the Olympic Peninsula. I’d never seen them so close before, and they are beautiful little birds with their curved bills, backs perfectly camouflaged against the tree trunks, and cream-colored bellies. They are incredible acrobats, climbing upside down on branches and spiraling up tree trunks.

Yellow -rumped Warbler. Before long they’ll be so bog-common in Ontario that we’ll just look the other way. But while winter still lingers the Yellow-rumped was a very welcome arrival. Tons of Golden-crowned kinglets passing through too. More on these and others at http://www.mybirdoftheday.ca

My best bird was going to be the calling Red-tailed Hawk riding a thermal above West Harrison, NY, yesterday. But this morning, on the train line near the Purdys (NY) train station, we saw a Mute Swan in flight … a sight I’ve never seen before, and tremendously beautiful.

One of my favorite birding days was Saturday. I did a trip to southern Maryland and Smith Island which resulted in both of my nemesis birds (fantastic views of Glossy Ibis, my BOTW, and meh of Purple Sandpiper), 6 state birds, 98 birds in a day, a new record for me, and 132 county ticks. Plus jaw-dropping good looks at a very cooperative Clapper Rail that probably lasted longer than all of my other non-coot rail views added together. Great weekend.